Clay or Gravel "Bucket Digger"? loading railway trucks

[4thGordons]

Can anyone tell me what the correct name for this equipment is (here being operated by AEF construction soldiers building one of the huge US camps in France).

There are a chain of buckets scooping clay or perhaps gravel from water at the bottom. Empty buckets coming down on the top, filling with a mix of water and whatever under the wheel on the far left and full buckets going up on the underside (close to the bank). The men in the second picture are shoveling (whatever it is) into the water to be scooped up by this machine - which dumps the contents out at the top into waiting rail trucks.

At least this is my interpretation!

Chris

[GWF1967]

19 minutes ago, 4thGordons said:

Can anyone tell me what the correct name for this equipment is (here being operated by AEF construction soldiers building one of the huge US camps in France).

There are a chain of buckets scooping clay or perhaps gravel from water at the bottom. Empty buckets coming down on the top, filling with a mix of water and whatever under the wheel on the far left and full buckets going up on the underside (close to the bank). The men in the second picture are shoveling (whatever it is) into the water to be scooped up by this machine - which dumps the contents out at the top into waiting rail trucks.

At least this is my interpretation!

Chris

A bucket elevator. 
 I’m pretty sure the  buckets drag fill and travel up on top, then empty as they upended at the top. 

Edited 9 April , 2022 by GWF1967

[4thGordons]

2 minutes ago, GWF1967 said:

A bucket elevator. 
 I’m pretty sure the  buckets drag fill and travel up on top, then empty as they upended at the top. 

Thanks! This is actually a screen grab from a fragment of film so I can see that they run up full on the underside (the wheel is rotating anti-clockwise) so I wonder if they aren't hinged and are tripped to drop their load and then clang shut again as they come on top for the journey back down?

Thanks for the name! I assume this would have been steam powered?

Chris

[GWF1967]

37 minutes ago, 4thGordons said:

Thanks! This is actually a screen grab from a fragment of film so I can see that they run up full on the underside (the wheel is rotating anti-clockwise) so I wonder if they aren't hinged and are tripped to drop their load and then clang shut again as they come on top for the journey back down?

Thanks for the name! I assume this would have been steam powered?

Chris

I would assume it to be steam powered and must operate as you suggest, with a trigger operating trapdoor bottom buckets. 
 I’ve only seen elevators work clockwise when viewed as in your picture,  whether bucket or conveyer belt,  with the arm helping to support the ascending load. (road surface planers, sand lifts, quarry rock conveyers, farm hay bale lifts etc.). 

Edited 9 April , 2022 by GWF1967